SpaceX completes development testing of SuperDraco engines

SpaceX has completed
design testing of its SuperDraco engines, which, as a key element of
the Crew Dragon's launch abort system (LAS), would be responsible for
carrying a crew of astronauts out of harms way in the event of a
launch failure.

Once complete, the Crew
Dragon spacecraft will represent one of the cornerstones of NASA's
drive to establish a cost effective, independent access to low-Earth orbit (LEO). For it to become human-rated, NASA has set a stringent
set of criteria that must be met. One such criteria is the
integration of a tried and tested LAS.

In the pursuit of this
goal, SpaceX has decided to buck the trend, opting for an integrated
system of four pairs of SuperDraco thrusters built in to the side of
the crew capsule. That's a notably different approach to a key
competitor in the Commercial Crew Development program – Boeing –
which has opted for the traditional "rocket tower" design for the LAS system to protect crew riding aboard its
Starliner spacecraft.

In the development of
the SuperDraco thrusters, SpaceX embraced advances in the sphere of
3D printing technology. A key element of the rocket, known as the
combustion chamber, is fabricated using solely 3D
printing, cutting down on cost, waste, and making the production
process more flexible in general.

During the recent
testing at the company's rocket development facility in Texas, the
thrusters were placed on a test stand and fired 27 times, progressing through various thrust
cycles. The tests come in the wake of last year's LAS pad test for
the Crew Dragon spacecraft, which served as proof that the design was
indeed feasible.

Moving forward, SpaceX
will continue to evaluate the performance of the thrusters, which it
one day hopes to use during the descent phase, as a viable
replacement for the current parachute system.